1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general to kiln floors and more particularly, to a dumping system for a kiln floor.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It has been a long practice to dry grain with a kiln floor and subsequently dump the floor for later use of the grain in the brewing process. The malt being processed in the malt house typically may pile two or three feet high over a kiln floor at a density of approximately 180 to 120 pounds per square foot. Because of the large quantity of material being dried on the kiln, the floor has conventionally comprised a number of pivotal sections that allow the grain to dump on a sequential basis and minimize the forces required in the discharge process. Such floor sections have in the past been manually operated by a crew who progress down the length of the floor in an aisle and physically rotate each floor section until the floor is totally dumped. Not only is such manual operation an arduous and unpleasant task because of the work exerted and unhealthy surrounding conditions, a manually operated kiln floor requires a relatively long period of labor to complete the dumping sequence. An example of prior malt driers having manually operated panels is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 355,128 to Brada issued Dec. 28, 1886 and U.S Pat. No. 588,507 to Toepfer issued Aug. 17, 1897.
In recent years several automated kiln floors have been introduced to the industry to overcome the inherent problems associated with manual operation, even though large numbers of manually operated kiln floors still exist at present time. An example of an automated malt house kiln is disclosed in the Ricklick patent, U.S. Pat. No. 3,243,894 issued Apr. 5, 1966. Several disadvantages associated with the foregoing automated system are alleviated by the systems disclosed in my prior U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,446,751; 4,462,266; 4,472,070; 4,498,269; and 4,522,320. While the techniques shown in my prior foregoing prior patents have solved numerous problems in the industry, a need persists for the introduction of additional designs for automated kiln floors that are economical and efficient and can be installed in new malt houses, or to replace or adapt to existing floors.